Souderton Wins Thriller in Renewal of Rivalry
By Scott Huff
SOUDERTON – The night had all the feel of the good old days – the days of the Bux-Mont League – the days of legendary Souderton coach Drew Darrah and celebrated Pennridge coach Wayne Helman.
And the game – played before a packed house at Indian Field - lived up to a good new-fashioned rivalry as Souderton held off Pennridge 20-19.
It was something special.
“There is no question that this was a great game for both communities,” said Pennridge head coach Randy Cuthbert. “It was great to see a turnout like we got tonight.”
“This was a special game for me personally, and for the team as a whole,” said Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher, who coached at Pennridge as an assistant. “I was really excited about getting them back on the schedule.”
The anticipated excitement generated by the communities, the coaching staffs, and the players was matched by the excitement of the game.
The game was scoreless in the first period as both offenses sputtered – but Pennridge was to get on the scoreboard first on its initial drive of the second period.
The Rams recovered a Souderton fumble, and four plays later, Pennridge quarterback Brad Herrmann fired a 17-yard scoring pass to Zach Knepp. The Big Red’s Clint Passarella blocked the point after, and the Rams settled for a 6-0 lead.
Souderton dominated the remainder of the second period to secure a 13-6 lead. The Indians scored on the ensuing drive as Justin Powell – who rushed for a game-high 157 yards on 24 carries - broke a tackle at the 14-yard line on his way to a gorgeous 24-yard TD run. Shawn Leo booted the PAT, and the Big Red led 7-6.
The Indians came up with a defensive stop and pieced together a scoring drive that culminated with a booming 36-yard field goal by Leo. The kick – aided by a nice wind – would have been good close to 50-yards.
Souderton came up with another defensive stop and put together another scoring drive that culminated in a 47-yard field goal by Leo. That kick – which came with no time left on the clock - set a school record.
“I knew I could make it,” said Leo. “I feel confident from about 48 yards, and with the wind I knew that I just had to hit it right.
Pennridge, however, did not go away. The Rams opened the third period with a scoring drive that featured the impressive running of junior Ian Walbridge. Walbridge – who finished with a team-high 92 yards on 11 carries – scored on a 20-yard run.
Olivia O’Neill, who booted two extra points in the Rams loss to North Catholic last week, split the uprights to tie the game at 13-13.
Pennridge would take the lead – 19-13 - on the first play of the fourth period when sophomore Jesse Knepp crashed in the end zone with a five-yard TD burst. The point after, though, was wide left and the missed PAT would figure into the outcome of the game.
“Sometimes the little things are the difference in the game,” said Cuthbert. “But I loved the way that we battled back.”
Souderton battled back with what proved to be the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth period. The nifty 12-play, 65-yard scoring drive featured some nice runs by both Powell and sophomore Peter Jenne.
“I challenged Peter this week in practice – gave him the offensive script,” said Gallahger. “He took it home and studied – and he did a nice job.”
Quarterback Denis Passarella capped the Big Red scoring drive with a 1-yard sneak, and Leo tacked on what proved to be the game winning point to give the Big Red a 20-19 lead with 5 minutes, 55 seconds left in the game.
“This was a great game between two cross town rivals,” said Souderton senior Cody Muller who excelled on both the offensive and defensive sides of the football. “We lost the last two games to Roman Catholic and CB West, and we won’t make excuses for those games.”
“Cody is a great high school football player,” said Gallagher. “He played with a lot of heart.”
“We had a very hard time blocking # 83 (Muller),” said Cuthbert. “He is one terrific football player.”
A terrific football player that played in a marvelous football game.
Just like in the good old days.
Pennridge 0 6 7 6-19
Souderton 0 13 0 7-20
P: Z. Knepp 17 pass from Herrmann (kick blocked)
S: Powell 24 run (Leo kick)
S: Leo FG 36
S: Leo FG 47
P: Walbridge 20 run (O’Neill kick)
P: J Knepp 5 run (kick failed)
S: Passarella 1 run (Leo kick)
Pennridge Souderton
10 First Downs 15
134 Rush/Yards 239
79 Pass/Yards 43
213 Total Offense 282
3-35 Punts/Avg. 2-30
2-10 Penalties/Yds 2-10
2-0 Fumbles/Lost 5-3
Pennridge
Rushing: Walbridge 11-92-TD; J. Knepp 10-21-TD; Herrmann 7-14; Metzger 3-7. Totals: 31-134- 2 TD.
Passing: Herrmann 7-17-1, 1 TD; 79 yards.
Receiving: Z. Knepp 3-33, TD; Swartley 2-40; Walbridge 1-4; Metzger 1-2. Totals 7-79- 1 TD.
Souderton
Rushing: Powell 24-157-TD; Jenne 5-51; Kelly 3-24; C. Passarella 1-5; Lynch 11-2; Brockenshire 1-2; D. Passarella 4- (minus 2). Totals 49-239- 2 TD.
Passing: D. Passarella 3-8-0; 43 yards.
Receiving: Jenne 1-20; Connolly 1-13; Muller 1-10. Totals 3-43-0
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